Leatherface is the eighth installment in the popular horror-thriller franchise, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This prequel film explores the origin story of the main character in the franchise, Jackson, also known as Jedidiah Sawyer or Leatherface, a serial killer who always uses a chainsaw to kill his victims. The movie stars Sam Strike as Jackson, Lili Taylor as his mother Verna, Vanessa Grasse as Elizabeth “Lizzy” White, a nurse, and Stephen Dorff as Hal Hartman, a police officer seeking revenge against the Sawyer family.
The movie takes place in 1955 when Ted Hardesty and his girlfriend Betty Hartman encounter a wounded child, Jedidiah Sawyer, while driving. Betty offers to help him, but he leads her into an abandoned barn where she is viciously murdered by the Sawyer family. Sheriff Hal Hartman, Betty’s father, investigates the murder and suspects the Sawyers, so he sends Jedidiah to a youth reform center. Ten years later, a nurse named Lizzy forms a friendship with Jedidiah, now known as Jackson, in the reform center. When Verna visits to see her son, chaos breaks out, and Lizzy is saved by Jackson, who then escapes with his friend Bud. They end up in a restaurant, where they are joined by other patients from the reform center who proceed to kill everyone inside. Sheriff Hartman arrives, and a shootout ensues, leaving Bud dead, Lizzy injured, and Jackson with a bullet wound to his face.
Lizzy wakes up captive in the same barn where Betty was murdered, and Sheriff Hartman and the Sawyer family are holding her and Jackson hostage. Verna gives a chainsaw to Jackson and orders him to kill Lizzy and Hartman. The movie ends with Jackson ultimately becoming the Leatherface character we know from the franchise.
Leatherface tries to deliver an origin story for one of the most iconic horror characters of all time, but the execution falls short. While the movie has some intense moments and gore, it lacks the suspense and scares that made the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre such a classic. Despite its flaws, Leatherface is still an entertaining watch for fans of the franchise and gore enthusiasts.
In conclusion, Leatherface is a prequel film that explores the backstory of the iconic character Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. While the film has its flaws, it still provides an entertaining experience for fans of the franchise and gore enthusiasts. Overall, Leatherface is an interesting addition to the franchise and worth a watch for those who are into horror films.
